Man's ability to survive in area of limited water has depended upon his ability to catch and save the excess water in time of rain to be used in time of drought. Iron Age and later peoples used cisterns to catch and store rainwater. See Jeremiah 2:13. Open bottom ground reservoirs are commonly used to catch and dispose of excess water. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,650,065 disclosed a skimmer cover to prevent larger particles of debris into the dry well. What has been lacking in a complete system whereas the open bottom ground reservoirs can be used to catch, purify and store water useful for domestic and animal water from such varied sources as water wells, rain water, domestic waste water and so forth.
The present invention is concerned with two problems to be solved. The first problem or situation concerns domestic or houseful water. This domestic water system would generally include water to quench the thirst of animals as well as human consumption such as drinking or cleaning purposes. A second problem concerns commercial, retail, or other industrial applications. The present invention will process and recycle waste water from commercial establishments such as factories and retail stores. It will process such gray water such as water from hand, bath, bath shower, or dish washing as well as hose downs of concrete floors and surfaces. The present invention is not designed to take care of large amounts of solid human or animal waste or more complex industrial waste. For this reason the present invention specifies that large amounts of solid human or animal fecal waste sewage, i.e., “black water,” would be disposed via commercial sewage systems. Likewise, heavily contaminated water from industrial processes, whether toxic or non-toxic, would be disposed via commercial disposal.
The present invention is concerned with capturing and retaining water that is less contaminated. At an important source of such water is water from rain or snow, or well water. Typically, rainwater or well water is relatively pure. However more processing is often useful prior to use as potable or drinking water.
Further, the present invention is concerned with assembling as a package of various common features suited for individual or isolated households, or small industrial processes. These households or factories can purchase their water system as a single source to be assembled in a standard manner. In fact, the various components of this system are items that are commercially available and as individual units.